A mechanistic model of snakebite as a zoonosis: Envenoming incidence is driven by snake ecology, socioeconomics and its impacts on snakes.

Snakebite is the only WHO-listed, not infectious neglected tropical disease (NTD), although its eco-epidemiology is similar to that of zoonotic infections: envenoming occurs after a vertebrate host contacts a human. Accordingly, snakebite risk represents the interaction between snake and human facto...

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Main Authors: Gerardo Martín, Joseph J Erinjery, Dileepa Ediriweera, H Janaka de Silva, David G Lalloo, Takuya Iwamura, Kris A Murray
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Public Library of Science (PLoS) 2022-05-01
Series:PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases
Online Access:https://journals.plos.org/plosntds/article/file?id=10.1371/journal.pntd.0009867&type=printable
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author Gerardo Martín
Joseph J Erinjery
Dileepa Ediriweera
H Janaka de Silva
David G Lalloo
Takuya Iwamura
Kris A Murray
author_facet Gerardo Martín
Joseph J Erinjery
Dileepa Ediriweera
H Janaka de Silva
David G Lalloo
Takuya Iwamura
Kris A Murray
author_sort Gerardo Martín
collection DOAJ
description Snakebite is the only WHO-listed, not infectious neglected tropical disease (NTD), although its eco-epidemiology is similar to that of zoonotic infections: envenoming occurs after a vertebrate host contacts a human. Accordingly, snakebite risk represents the interaction between snake and human factors, but their quantification has been limited by data availability. Models of infectious disease transmission are instrumental for the mitigation of NTDs and zoonoses. Here, we represented snake-human interactions with disease transmission models to approximate geospatial estimates of snakebite incidence in Sri Lanka, a global hotspot. Snakebites and envenomings are described by the product of snake and human abundance, mirroring directly transmitted zoonoses. We found that human-snake contact rates vary according to land cover (surrogate of occupation and socioeconomic status), the impacts of humans and climate on snake abundance, and by snake species. Our findings show that modelling snakebite as zoonosis provides a mechanistic eco-epidemiological basis to understand snakebites, and the possible implications of global environmental and demographic change for the burden of snakebite.
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institution OA Journals
issn 1935-2727
1935-2735
language English
publishDate 2022-05-01
publisher Public Library of Science (PLoS)
record_format Article
series PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases
spelling doaj-art-4f585ae07b0941c3831c3ebd4734a2de2025-08-20T02:33:27ZengPublic Library of Science (PLoS)PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases1935-27271935-27352022-05-01165e000986710.1371/journal.pntd.0009867A mechanistic model of snakebite as a zoonosis: Envenoming incidence is driven by snake ecology, socioeconomics and its impacts on snakes.Gerardo MartínJoseph J ErinjeryDileepa EdiriweeraH Janaka de SilvaDavid G LallooTakuya IwamuraKris A MurraySnakebite is the only WHO-listed, not infectious neglected tropical disease (NTD), although its eco-epidemiology is similar to that of zoonotic infections: envenoming occurs after a vertebrate host contacts a human. Accordingly, snakebite risk represents the interaction between snake and human factors, but their quantification has been limited by data availability. Models of infectious disease transmission are instrumental for the mitigation of NTDs and zoonoses. Here, we represented snake-human interactions with disease transmission models to approximate geospatial estimates of snakebite incidence in Sri Lanka, a global hotspot. Snakebites and envenomings are described by the product of snake and human abundance, mirroring directly transmitted zoonoses. We found that human-snake contact rates vary according to land cover (surrogate of occupation and socioeconomic status), the impacts of humans and climate on snake abundance, and by snake species. Our findings show that modelling snakebite as zoonosis provides a mechanistic eco-epidemiological basis to understand snakebites, and the possible implications of global environmental and demographic change for the burden of snakebite.https://journals.plos.org/plosntds/article/file?id=10.1371/journal.pntd.0009867&type=printable
spellingShingle Gerardo Martín
Joseph J Erinjery
Dileepa Ediriweera
H Janaka de Silva
David G Lalloo
Takuya Iwamura
Kris A Murray
A mechanistic model of snakebite as a zoonosis: Envenoming incidence is driven by snake ecology, socioeconomics and its impacts on snakes.
PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases
title A mechanistic model of snakebite as a zoonosis: Envenoming incidence is driven by snake ecology, socioeconomics and its impacts on snakes.
title_full A mechanistic model of snakebite as a zoonosis: Envenoming incidence is driven by snake ecology, socioeconomics and its impacts on snakes.
title_fullStr A mechanistic model of snakebite as a zoonosis: Envenoming incidence is driven by snake ecology, socioeconomics and its impacts on snakes.
title_full_unstemmed A mechanistic model of snakebite as a zoonosis: Envenoming incidence is driven by snake ecology, socioeconomics and its impacts on snakes.
title_short A mechanistic model of snakebite as a zoonosis: Envenoming incidence is driven by snake ecology, socioeconomics and its impacts on snakes.
title_sort mechanistic model of snakebite as a zoonosis envenoming incidence is driven by snake ecology socioeconomics and its impacts on snakes
url https://journals.plos.org/plosntds/article/file?id=10.1371/journal.pntd.0009867&type=printable
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